The use of grounded electrical boxes (also referred to herein as electrical outlet boxes or outlet boxes) for housing electrical devices and connecting wires is well known in the prior art. In new construction, an outlet box is typically attached to a wall stud and the front face of the box extends beyond the stud so that it will be flush with the surface of the wall. The box is then connected to a ground. For example, when the wall is formed from one-half inch thick sheet rock, the face of the box extends approximately one-half inch beyond the stud. When a receptacle is installed in the box and a cover plate attached, the cover plate lies flat on the surface of the wall.
However, the thickness of the wall can sometimes change when a new wall covering is installed over an existing wall. In these cases, the front face of an existing electrical box will not be flush with the new wall surface. In order to modify the boxes to fit the new wall thickness, a switch box extender must be attached to the box. Typically, the extender is made from sheet metal and it is attached to the front face of an existing metal outlet box so that the front face of the extender is flush with the surface of the new wall covering. Generally, no provision is made for grounding the extender.
When an extender is attached to an electrical box, the extender is ungrounded, except for the electrical ground path formed by the walls of the extender contacting the walls of the outlet box. This is not a reliable ground for the extender because the walls of the extender do not always tightly contact the outlet box to provide a continuous electrical connection. Presently, the electrical codes do not require the extenders to be grounded to the outlet box. Accordingly, the extenders that are being used do not have any provisions for grounding to the outlet box. Therefore, a reliable means of grounding the extender to the electrical box is needed. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mounting bracket which allows for the use of a standard electrical box in old work or cut-in applications.